


Blonde Chocolate

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-19 16:31:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13708308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Therese gets a box of chocolates that are not from Carol...





	Blonde Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> I’m late with this one-shot, but I wanted to post something around for Valentine’s Day. I still love my vintage girlfriends terribly. :’)

February 1954

“This came for you, Miss Belivet,” spoke one of the Times’ writers, Al Sherwood. He pulled a red heart-shaped box of chocolates out from behind his desk. “It was left inside your mailbox this early afternoon.”

Therese reached for the gift and stared curiously. She started to unravel the lacy ribbon bow tied on the top with her fingers before removing the box lid. Inside she saw a dozen assorted chocolate truffle candies containing different kinds of milk, dark, coconut and cherry flavored fillings.

Al whistled. “Well? Who is the lucky gent?”

“There’s no card,” Therese smirked. She thought of Carol’s pure, angelic face immediately.

xxxxx

“Hello? Yes?” the sound of Carol’s hushed, velvety voice was absolute music to her ears.

“It’s me,” Therese spoke quietly through one of the office phones hung outside in the hallway.

“Darling,” Carol greeted warmly.

“I wanted to thank you for the chocolates you sent me. That was very sweet of you, Carol,” Therese explained, smiling. 

“Sorry? The what now?”

Therese smiled wider. “You don’t have to keep pretending anymore. I know you’re the one who sent me over-”

“Therese, it wasn’t me,” Carol cut off. “I never sent you anything, because you told me that we should just skip Valentine’s Day, and that you didn’t want me to get you anything special. Remember?”

Therese paused. Then,

“Therese? Hello?”

“Quit playing me like a fool, Carol!”

“My love, I swear to you. I’m telling you the truth,” Carol answered sincerely. “Now I must get back to the shop. I’m sure that you need to go back to your work as well. I’ll pick you up later this evening.”

“Alright,” Therese mumbled. Both women said their goodbyes and hung up.

xxxxx

Just as Therese bundled up and gathered up her things, several hard knocks startled her, almost making her drop her satchel. She looked up to find Dannie McElroy grinning from ear-to-ear. 

“Hiya, Therese!” he burst out with full enthusiasm. “Did you like what I left you back there in your cubbie?”

“So it was you...?” Therese’s shoulders dropped and she failed miserably hiding her disappointment. “You bought me the chocolates?”

“Of course I did!” Dannie exclaimed. He swooped over and gave her a great big hug and kiss on the cheek. Therese shoved him away and wiped his sloppy kiss off. “A ‘thank you’ wouldn’t hurt me as much...”

“Thank you,” Therese replied bitterly. She locked her work bag in place and slid the leather strap around one shoulder. She moved her legs and feet to walk, but Dannie grabbed her by the elbow and tugged her backwards. 

“Hold on a second, Belivet, not so fast! Lemme take you out tonight. Somewhere real special...”

“I’m tired, Dannie, and it’s late,” Therese huffed. She waited for him to release her. When he did, he shrugged off the awkwardness that surrounded them.

“Can I least walk you home? Call a cab for ya?” Dannie politely offered.

“I have a ride, already,” Therese mumbled.

“It’s that Carol dame, ain’t it?” Dannie snorted. He watched Therese mutely turn around facing her back towards him as she left the main office, descending down the spiral staircase; moving through the hallway straight across towards the front doors.

“These couple of years I’ve noticed you’ve grown so attached to her. I reckon, by now, that you two are some kind of queer _girlfriends_ ,” Dannie snickered.

Therese whirled back around to face him and growled, “Good-night, Dannie!” before she fumbled her satchel open and took out the box of chocolates. She shoved them back to him and hurried out of the tall, New York Times’ office building into the chilly, cloudy-winter night.

xxxxx

Carol waited inside her stalled, yet running, Packard, drumming her fingers softly along the dashboard. She reached over and readjusted her side-mirror to see Therese crossing the empty street, red-nosed and exhausted. Carol brightened up the minute she leaned over and pushed open the passenger car door for Therese to hop in. As soon as the younger woman did, the two of them kissed briefly before Carol yanked on the silver car handle over Therese’s lap to close the car door shut. 

“Hi honey,” Carol spoke, breathlessly. “Did you have a good day?” 

“Uh huh.” Therese pulled out a tissue from her wool coat pocket and wiped her nose.

“Did you find out who sent you those chocolates?” Carol questioned, backing the car before peeling out from the curb.

“They came from Dannie,” Therese snorted. She loosened the strap off from her shoulder and then held her bag between her legs.

“Dannie McElroy?” Carol couldn’t help but grin. She knew that he had the biggest crush on Therese. Almost three years now. Maybe longer.

xxxxx

For dinner, Carol removed a plate of potroast out of the oven for Therese, and while she sat there and ate, the blonde simply watched her from across the table.

“What?” Therese chewed and swallowed a bit of her steamed, baked potato and lowered her fork down.

Carol folded her hands together, gold bracelets jingling around through her wrists. “I know that I wasn’t suppose to get you something, but what if I made you something, upstairs, instead?” 

Therese raised her brows. Carol laughed and quickly got out of her chair. She gestured for Therese to come and follow her. The women left the kitchen and moved upstairs. Carol stopped in front of her closed bedroom door with her hand touching the knob.

“I tried my hardest, so don’t laugh at me now,” Carol sighed.

“Open the door,” Therese giggled.

Carol twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. She had let themselves in. The bedroom was decorated with a million of tiny red heart-shaped construction paper cut-outs dangling from the ceiling on pieces of string. There was even a plate of pink frosted cupcakes wrapped neatly on top of the dresser.

“Do you like it?” Carol sounded so small and defenseless. 

Therese threw her arms around Carol’s neck and kissed her full on the lips. Sighing between their mouths, Carol tilted her head with their foreheads touching. 

“C’mere,” Therese giggled, pulling Carol by the waist towards the bed. The two women, kissing hungrily with their arms entangled, bounced themselves on top of the bed with Therese kicking off her pair of loafers.

Carol giggled once Therese pushed her to roll over sideways and lay flat on her back. Therese hovered above her on the mattress with Carol peering up.

“I love you, blonde chocolate,” Therese whispered, dipping her head down to bury her nose inside the curve of Carol’s neck.

Carol purred like a cat in response which made both women laugh crazily. They kissed and hugged and snuggled each other in a warm, tight embrace.

-End


End file.
